Figuring out the right basslines and rhythm for melodies
 

Hey Guys and Girls,

I've always wanted to make my own solo guitar arrangements.But i find figuring out the basslines very difficult by ear.I can work the melody part out though(anyone can).

Please share your tips so as to give me some direction in arranging songs :)

Thanks,
Tariq

Why not start with bass lines and chords in your compositions? Sometimes they can lead to melodies with catchy phrasing too.Programs such as BIAB have a lot of rhythm and bass parts that could be a starting point to develop your own.

You should be able to this, to start, without the guitar in your hands. If you are hearing a groove or beat in your head, that right there is the basis of the bass line. Shuffle, straight 4, waltz, etc makes no difference. You know the chords, you know the bass notes. Work from there.

Tariq,
Just finished reading an article in the Jan 2013 edition of Acoustic Guitar mag. On page 64 there is an article entitled "Fingerstyle Bass Lines" "how and when to use walking bass lines, pedal tones, and bass riffs in your compositions and arrangements. Just what your looking for I believe.
If you can't obtain a copy I believe there is on-line access.
www.acousticguitar.com

Blues

Hi Tariq,
You can do it, and you'll like finding your own groove.

Have you explored simple chord inversions? Thinking of the triad that makes the C chord, usually the C is in the bass, then the E and G are played over the bass. You can invert the chord: the first inversion would have E in the bass followed by G and C. The second inversion would have a G as a bass then C and E.

So reshaping some of your basic chords will give you different possible bass notes.

Howard's got it. For most popular music, a bass line isn't rocket science. It is there to be the musical drum.

A song is chords, melody, and rhythm...get into the chords part...a bassline can practically write itself once you try to find a place to grab the chord and melody note simultaneously.

Besides using software, I often play along with an early recording and try to design a simple tune which has a nice accompanying rythm for the song I'm working on.
A little bit of counter point is allways nice but harder to play on a single instrument.
The rythm usually reflects a certain music style, of which the basis is very likely copied from something I've heard before (probably the entire song is, lol).
Then I go to work on it and try not to take it too far or make it too complex, after all it's not a solo. It's usually a repetitive phrase with minor changes here and there to keep it interesting.
A good start is often the chord's base notes and then decide if it's better to have a 3rd or 5th in it's place at some locations. A bass melody will grow from that and the rythm usually adapts itself to it.
Then I look if I can play it that way, if not I make minor adjustments in either part, chords and bass. This way I try to do the hard thing first, but if I can't I'll fall back on something easier and possibly simpler too.
It may grow during practice when I start hearing better harmonies, this will never really stop as sometimes I forget a little and redesign the thing or I just think of even better harmonies I'd like to incorporate.
It may sound like an elaborate process but it's not, in the end it just happens almost without thinking whilst playing along with a recording. I've never worried about it being great or not, as I know it'll change over time and new knowledge will be incorporated.
Just start with something and let it grow on you, it'll get easier every time you try.

Ludwig

Onto something here...

Bass lines don't happen in a harmonic or chordal context first but in a rhythmic context first.

Also feel free to left hand mute to get at the rhythmic setting.

"Figuring out the right basslines and rhythm for melodies"

this is where you have to develop and apply your musical imagination, simplest way is to record your melodie and image what you want to 'surround' it with as accompaniment - then workout how to do it - simple :)

Here’s the method we use to learn a new song, by ear, with the intention of creating our own arrangement:

1. Learn the chords.
2. Figure out the basic melody. Often this is nestled within the chord shapes.

The next step would be to use the framework of the basic chords and melody to add your own embellishments, substitutions, etc. to come up with your own arrangement. But we won’t worry about that for now.

In your case, you’re working on developing basslines. Here’s what I’d recommend. Every day, as part of your daily practice, make it a point to listen to some recorded music (whatever style you enjoy) and use the above to figure out what they’re doing. The only difference is, you’ll add another step, so it looks like this:

1. Figure out the bassline.
2. Learn the chords.
3. Figure out the basic melody.

If you do this every day, you’ll eventually start to develop an intuitive feel for how the chords, the bassline, and the melody relate to one another. Writing it down helps too, as does reading about it (like you are now), but sometimes you just have to hear it, and feel it, before it really makes sense to you. This will help you when arranging your own music. Also, there's no shortcut when it comes to understanding this stuff, so don't get frustrated if it takes a while.